FAQs
FAQs
Battery fundamentals
What is the difference between AGM and gel batteries?
Both are VRLA, valve regulated lead acid, meaning sealed valves and immobilised electrolyte with internal gas recombination, so they do not require watering and can be installed in a wider range of locations than a flooded cell.
The difference is how the electrolyte is immobilised:
AGM uses an absorbent glass mat separator holding the electrolyte in suspension. It has lower internal impedance, which makes it better at delivering high current for short periods, the classic UPS duty, where a battery sits on float for months and then has to deliver a heavy load for minutes.
Gel uses a polyethylene separator with a thixotropic gel electrolyte. It has higher tolerance of deep discharge and better cycle life, and typically performs better at sustained elevated temperature. That makes it the stronger choice for cyclic duty and for hot, uncontrolled environments, solar and off-grid applications, remote sites, and locations that are repeatedly discharged deeply rather than occasionally.
The rule of thumb: AGM for standby with high current draw, gel for cycling and for heat. Valen’s front terminal ranges span both:
|
Range |
Choose it for |
|---|---|
|
TOPIN AGM |
General standby and UPS duty, cost-sensitive float service |
|
ENVIROX-CEL carbon-enhanced AGM |
Standby with partial-state-of-charge cycling, solar-assisted duty |
|
ENVIROX-CELPLUS graphitic carbon blend AGM |
The same duty with a longer design life and rail type approval |
|
ENDUROGEL catalyst-enhanced gel |
Cyclic duty, deep discharge, sustained elevated temperature |
|
ENLiFEN LiFePO₄ |
Daily cycling duty, weight or space constrained installations |
What are the different types of industrial battery?
Industrial batteries fall into two families. Lead-acid divides into flooded (wet cell), VRLA, valve regulated, sealed, with immobilised electrolyte, available as AGM or gel, and OPzV tubular gel. Lithium in industrial standby is almost entirely LiFePO₄ (lithium iron phosphate), chosen over the NMC and NCA chemistries used in vehicles for its thermal stability. Valen supplies AGM, gel, lead carbon and LiFePO₄; not flooded automotive types.
What is VRLA and what does “valve regulated” mean?
VRLA means the cell is sealed with a pressure relief valve and the electrolyte is immobilised, in a glass mat separator (AGM) or a thixotropic gel. Gas generated on charge recombines internally rather than escaping, so the battery needs no watering and can be installed in orientations and locations a flooded cell cannot. Recombination is not perfect: under over-charge or high temperature the valves vent hydrogen, which is why ventilation is still required.
What is a deep cycle battery?
A battery designed to release its charge over a long period and to tolerate being repeatedly discharged to a significant depth. Thicker plates and different separator construction than a starting battery, which is built for a very high current draw over seconds. A deep cycle battery in a starting application underperforms; a starting battery in a cyclic application fails quickly.
What is the difference between cycle use and standby use?
Standby (float) use: the battery sits fully charged on a charger and discharges rarely, UPS, telecom reserve, substation tripping supply. Life is governed by calendar ageing, temperature and float voltage. Cycle use: the battery is discharged and recharged regularly, solar, off-grid, SAPS. Life is governed by cycle count and depth of discharge. The same battery is not optimal for both, and the most common specification error in this market is buying a standby product for a cycling duty.
How is battery capacity rated, and what does C10 or C20 mean?
Front terminal Q7.14. [what does C10 C20 mean battery]
What does a 12V 7Ah C20 rating mean?
12 V is the nominal voltage; 7 Ah is the capacity measured over a 20-hour discharge. Discharged at 350 mA for 20 hours the battery delivers its rated capacity.It does not mean you can draw 7 A for one hour, the one-hour rate for that battery is closer to 3.6 A, because faster discharge extracts less total energy.
Why do different C-ratings show different capacities for the same battery?
[why does battery capacity change with discharge rate] Two reasons. Discharge rate: slower discharge extracts more energy, so C₁₀₀ capacity exceeds C₂₀ exceeds C₁₀. And cut-off voltage: the same battery quoted to 1.75 V per cell and to 1.80 V per cell shows different capacities. Compare batteries only at the same rate and the same cut-off. Example: a cell rated 1000 Ah at C₁₀ may be rated 1200 Ah at C₁₀₀.
How is battery power calculated?
Watts = amps × volts. Watt-hours = volts × amp-hours. A 12 V 9 Ah battery stores 108 Wh. A 24 V 500 Ah bank stores 12,000 Wh, or 12 kWh. A 48 V (51.2 V nominal) 100 Ah lithium module stores approximately 5.1 kWh. UPS loads are usually specified in watts or kVA, so converting the load to watt-hours before sizing is the necessary first step.
What is the difference between AC and DC power?
Grid supply is alternating current, the direction of flow reverses cyclically, at 50 Hz in Australia. Batteries and solar panels produce direct current, flowing in one direction. Most industrial control, communications and signalling equipment runs natively on DC (12, 24, 48, 50, 110 or 125 V), which is why those sites use DC power systems rather than AC with local rectification.
What are F1 and F2 terminals?
Both are flat blade terminals on small VRLA batteries. F2 blades are wider than F1. They are not interchangeable without adapters, and getting it wrong is a common ordering error on replacement batteries. Larger stationary and front terminal batteries use threaded inserts (commonly M6 or M8) or bolt-through terminals instead.
Where do I find a battery’s serial number and date code?
Engraved or printed on the top of the case. Record it at installation. It is what a warranty claim is assessed against, and it is the only way to establish true age on a bank that has been partially replaced over the years. Photograph the labels at commissioning; it takes five minutes and saves an argument later.
Battery life, failure and replacement
Can I replace just one battery in a string?
Technically yes, practically it is usually a false economy, and there is a real risk in doing it badly.
In a series string, every battery carries the same current. A new battery has lower internal resistance and higher capacity than its aged neighbours, so on discharge the older units reach their end voltage first and the new one is never fully exercised; on charge, the string voltage divides unevenly. The result is that the new battery is dragged toward the condition of the old ones, and the string’s capacity is still set by its weakest member. You have spent money without buying runtime.
A weak cell in a string can be over-charged by the float voltage intended for the string as a whole. Sustained over-charging is a recognised thermal runaway mechanism in VRLA batteries, and a failure mode observed across utility fleets managing critical infrastructure.
Sensible practice:
- Within the first year of installation, replacing a single failed unit is reasonable, the rest of the bank is barely aged.
- After roughly a third of design life, replace the string.
- Never mix chemistries or design-life classes in a string.
- Never mix lithium and VRLA on the same bus without separate charge control. Their float and charge acceptance characteristics are incompatible, and the charger cannot serve both correctly.
What factors determine how long a VRLA battery lasts?
In order of impact: temperature (roughly 50% life reduction per 10 °C sustained above 20 °C), depth of discharge (the deeper the cycle, the shorter the life), sulphation from deep discharges and poor charging, dryout from high temperature and over-charging, charge regime including whether the charger is temperature-compensated, and self-discharge during inactive periods exceeding six months.
What is sulphation and how do I prevent it?
Lead sulphate crystals forming on the plates during discharge, which fail to convert back on charge if the battery is left discharged or is chronically under-charged. It is probably the single largest killer of lead-acid batteries in the field. Prevention: recharge promptly after discharge, avoid deep discharges where the design does not call for them, and ensure the charger delivers a correct and complete charge rather than a partial one.
Does overcharging damage batteries?
Yes. Over-charging accelerates both sulphation and dryout, and at elevated temperature it is a recognised thermal runaway mechanism. Causes: an oversized or faulty charger, a charger without temperature compensation holding a 20 °C float voltage at a 45 °C cell, or one weak battery in a series string absorbing a disproportionate share of the string voltage.
Does over-discharging damage batteries?
Yes. For a 12 V VRLA, end-of-discharge voltage is typically around 9.5 to 10 V; taking it below that causes damage that is often permanent. The usual cause is not operator error but a system drawing more power than the battery was sized to deliver, a load that has grown since the bank was specified. If a bank is repeatedly going flat, the problem is the sizing, not the battery.
How many cycles will a battery deliver?
Inversely related to depth of discharge. A typical VRLA discharged to 100% of capacity each cycle manages around 300 cycles; the same battery at 30% depth of discharge manages around 800. LiFePO₄ is a different order of magnitude, thousands of cycles at 80% depth of discharge. This relationship is why shallow cycling extends life, and why chemistry choice for a daily-cycling duty is usually decisive.
Do deep cycle batteries have a memory effect?
No. VRLA deep cycle batteries do not have a memory effect. Shallow discharges with regular recharging give the longest usable life, not a degraded one, the opposite of the folklore. The memory effect belongs to nickel-cadmium chemistry and has been incorrectly generalised to everything since.
How do I know when to replace a battery bank?
End of life is conventionally 80% of rated capacity. Age-based, impedance-trend and timed-discharge approaches each have a role; only a discharge test measures capacity directly.
Sizing, testing and monitoring
How do I size a battery bank?
Four inputs: the load in watts or amps, the required autonomy in hours or days, the maximum depth of discharge you will design to, and the derating factors for temperature and end-of-life capacity. Australian utility practice, expressed cleanly in Sydney Water’s HV specification, is the IEEE 485 method with a 10% design margin and a 25% ageing factor. For stand-alone power systems, AS/NZS 4509.2 gives the storage sizing method and autonomy guidance.
How many hours or days of autonomy should I specify?
It is set by criticality and restoration time, not by convention, but Australian specifications give real benchmarks worth quoting:
|
Application |
Published requirement |
|---|---|
|
Rail, active level crossing |
48 hours with 10% residual capacity (ARTC ESC-03-01) |
|
Substation DC, system black duty |
10 hours (AusNet AMS 20-80) |
|
Mobile base station, hardened |
At least 12 hours (Commonwealth Mobile Network Hardening Program) |
|
Traffic signals / ITS roadside |
4 hours at full load (TMR MRTS213; NZTA 1–8 h site-determined) |
|
HV water utility installation |
4 hours minimum (Sydney Water DOC0008) |
|
Stand-alone power system |
2 days with auto generator, 4–5 days without (AS/NZS 4509.2) |
Nobody else has these numbers assembled in one place, and each maps to a Valen product line.
How do I derate battery capacity for temperature?
Available capacity falls as temperature falls. AS/NZS 4509.2 provides derating curves for lead-acid at C₁₀₀ and C₂₀ rates from −10 °C to +40 °C, with correction factors running roughly 60% to 105%. Size to the minimum expected electrolyte temperature, not the annual average. Separately, and in the other direction, sustained high temperature does not reduce available capacity much but shortens life sharply, see B1.
What battery testing methods are recommended?
Three tiers. Impedance or conductance testing (instruments such as impedance meters) is fast, done on a live circuit, and reliably detects open cells, dry-out and connection degradation, but requires a baseline from when the bank was new. Capacity analysers perform a cyclic load test and require the battery fully charged first. Timed discharge testing is the only direct measurement of capacity. AS 2676 covers installation, maintenance, testing and replacement obligations in Australia.
Do I still need discharge testing if I have monitoring?
Yes, and this is where most monitoring vendors overclaim. Impedance and conductance are trend indicators, not capacity measurements. They catch open cells, dry-out and connection faults, and rising impedance correlates with capacity fade, but the only direct measure of capacity is a timed discharge test. AusNet’s own asset strategy states that the impracticality of discharge testing on single-bank zone substations “prevent[s] accurate measurement of the DC system available capacity”, which is why they pursue continuous cell monitoring and a capacity test method. /is-battery-monitoring-worth-the-cost/
What is the difference between a BMS and a battery monitoring system?
A BMS is inside a lithium battery and protects it. A battery monitoring system is external, watches a bank (typically lead-acid) and reports condition for maintenance planning. Lithium has the first inherently; lead-acid needs the second added.
Can battery monitoring void, or protect, my warranty?
The opposite of what people expect: the absence of monitoring can void a warranty. AusNet’s published asset management strategy states that lack of monitoring “may void the DC cell warranty as the manufacturer requires proof that the DC cell was operated in a controlled regime”. Monitoring data is not just diagnostics. It is the evidence file for a future claim. Confirm what evidence your specific warranty requires at purchase, not at claim.
How do I monitor batteries at an unmanned remote site?
Options in increasing order of capability: charger or rectifier alarm contacts into an existing RTU; a monitoring unit reporting over the site’s existing SCADA link via Modbus or DNP3; a cellular-connected monitor where no SCADA link exists; or a full energy management system where the site has generation and storage as well as batteries. The choice is usually determined by what communications the site already has, not by what the monitoring can do.
Australian standards and compliance
What standards apply to lithium batteries in Australia?
The standards that matter for an industrial lithium battery in Australia:
|
Standard |
Scope |
|---|---|
|
IEC 62619:2022 |
Safety requirements for secondary lithium cells and batteries for industrial applications. Current edition includes a mandatory thermal propagation test, overcharge testing at 1.5× rated voltage for 7 hours, and external short circuit with surface temperature limited to 150 °C |
|
UN 38.3 |
Transport testing, eight tests including altitude, thermal cycling, vibration, shock, external short circuit, impact/crush, overcharge and forced discharge. Mandatory for any lithium product transported in Australia |
|
UL 1973 |
Stationary battery safety |
|
UL 9540A |
Thermal runaway fire propagation test method. Frequently demanded in data centre and BESS tenders |
|
IEC 63056 |
Safety requirements for lithium in energy storage systems used with power conversion equipment |
|
AS/NZS 5139:2019 + A1:2025 |
Battery systems with power conversion equipment, note the telecom and UPS exclusions |
|
AS 3011 / AS 2676 |
Installation, maintenance and testing of secondary batteries in buildings |
|
SA TS 5398:2025 |
Electrical Energy Storage Equipment: Safety Requirements. Now the basis for Clean Energy Council listing |
SOLiCORE is certified to IEC 62619, UN 38.3 and UL 1973, and tested to UL 9540A.
A change worth knowing about if your project depends on CEC listing. SA TS 5398:2025 replaced the 2018 Best Practice Guide as the basis for Clean Energy Council battery listing. The transition: applications accepted under either from 1 January 2026, only SA TS 5398 from 1 January 2027, and all Best-Practice-Guide-approved batteries expire from the CEC lists on 31 December 2027. Approvals under the new standard carry three-year validity.
This matters because CEC listing is a commercial gate, not just a technical one, state network connection requirements and government rebate programmes including SRES require batteries from the CEC list. If your project timeline crosses 2027, ask suppliers what their listing status will be after 31 December 2027, not just what it is today.
What Australian standards apply to industrial batteries and battery installations?
[battery standards Australia · Australian battery installation standard]
|
Standard |
Scope |
|---|---|
|
AS 60896.22:2023 |
VRLA stationary batteries, requirements. Supersedes AS/NZS 4029.2:2000 |
|
AS 60896.21:2023 |
VRLA stationary batteries, methods of test |
|
AS 3011.1 / .2:2019 |
Secondary batteries installed in buildings, vented / sealed |
|
AS 2676.1:2020 / .2 |
Installation, maintenance, testing and replacement of secondary batteries in buildings |
|
AS 4044:2024 |
Battery chargers for stationary batteries. Supersedes AS 4044-1992 |
|
AS/NZS 5139:2019 + A1:2025 |
Battery systems with power conversion equipment, note the exclusions, see D3 |
|
AS/NZS 4509.1 / .2 |
Stand-alone power systems, safety and installation / system design |
|
AS/NZS 4086 |
Secondary batteries for stand-alone power systems |
|
AS/NZS 5033:2021 |
PV array installation and safety |
|
AS 62040 series |
Uninterruptible power systems, safety, EMC, performance |
|
AS/NZS 3000 |
Wiring Rules, the base standard |
|
IEC 62619:2022 |
Lithium cells and batteries for industrial applications |
|
AS 5715:2015 |
UPS for roadside devices (ITS) |
Which battery standards have recently changed?
[superseded battery standard Australia · AS/NZS 4029.2 superseded] Three supersessions worth knowing, because older specifications still cite the withdrawn versions: AS 60896.22:2023 supersedes AS/NZS 4029.2:2000 (published 8 September 2023). AS 4044:2024 supersedes AS 4044-1992, a 32-year gap, and many live utility and road authority specifications still reference the 1992 edition. AS/NZS 5139 Amendment 1 (2025) added a formal battery room definition, new clearance figures including 600 mm front and 900 mm above in restricted locations, and an appendix for cell short-circuit current calculation. If a tender cites a withdrawn edition, say so in your response, specifiers generally appreciate it.
Does AS/NZS 5139 apply to my installation?
Scope is 12–1500 V DC, 1–200 kWh. It excludes telecommunications applications, UPS complying with AS 62040, premises with critical power continuity requirements, EVs, portable equipment and transportable structures. The most misapplied standard in the market. /does-as-nzs-5139-apply-to-my-battery-installation/
What does AS 2676 require for battery maintenance and testing?
[AS 2676 requirements · battery maintenance standard Australia] AS 2676 covers installation, maintenance, testing and replacement of secondary batteries in buildings, in two parts (vented and sealed cells). It is the standard Australian asset owners are audited against, and it is the correct reference for a maintenance regime where AS/NZS 5139 does not apply. /as-2676-battery-installation-and-maintenance-explained/
What ventilation does a battery room or enclosure need?
VRLA vents hydrogen under over-charge and high temperature; hydrogen is flammable above roughly 4% in air. Requirements sit in AS 2676 and AS 3011. A sealed IP-rated cabinet containing a battery bank with no designed air path is a design error.
What is the CEC approved battery list, and what is changing in 2027?
[CEC approved battery list · SA TS 5398 · Clean Energy Council battery list change] The Clean Energy Council maintains approved lists for battery modules, pre-assembled battery systems and integrated BESS. Listing is a commercial gate, not just a technical one, state network connection requirements and rebate programmes including SRES require listed batteries. The basis is changing. SA TS 5398:2025 replaced the 2018 Best Practice Guide: applications accepted under either from 1 January 2026, only TS 5398 from 1 January 2027, and all Best-Practice-Guide-approved batteries expire from the lists on 31 December 2027. TS 5398 also brings lead-acid technologies into scope, which is new. If your project crosses 2027, ask suppliers about their listing status after 31 December 2027.
What approvals do I need to supply batteries to a rail operator or road authority?
[rail supplier approval Australia · TMR approved product · type approval process battery] Each infrastructure manager runs its own gate on top of the national standards. In rail, ARTC maintains approved materials registers and requires prototype approval and factory acceptance testing for new or modified designs, with a stated procurement preference for existing suppliers and for products already proven in similar signalling applications elsewhere. Transport for NSW operates the ASA type approval process. Road authorities operate equivalent regimes, TMR through its MRTS specifications, Main Roads WA through Specification 713, and TfNSW and DTP Victoria through their own ITS specifications. Practical implication for a contractor: confirm the product is on the relevant register before you tender it, because a compliant product that is not type-approved is not acceptable. /rail-signalling-power-systems-explained/
Chargers, rectifiers and DC power
How do I size a battery charger?
[how to size a battery charger · charger sizing formula] A working rule for lead-acid: charger amps = battery Ah ÷ (hours to charge ÷ 2). A 100 Ah battery to be charged in 8 hours needs 100 ÷ 4 = a 25 A charger. Two refinements matter in practice: AS/NZS 4509.2 uses the C₁₀ rate for charger sizing, and the charger must carry the normal load as well as the recharge current if the load remains connected, a point utility specifications are explicit about.
What is the difference between float charge and boost charge?
[float vs boost charge · equalise charge battery] Float is a continuous low voltage that holds a fully charged battery against self-discharge without over-charging it. Boost (or equalise) is a temporary higher voltage used to restore a discharged battery or to equalise cells that have drifted apart. Utility specifications typically set boost to initiate when battery voltage falls below a threshold. Sydney Water uses 80% of nominal, and require float to be set for minimal over-charge and water loss.
Why does a charger need temperature compensation?
[temperature compensated battery charging · why temperature compensation charger] Because the correct float voltage changes with temperature. A charger holding a 20 °C float voltage at a 45 °C battery is over-charging it, which accelerates dryout and is a recognised thermal runaway mechanism. This is now the modern standard in utility specifications: AusNet notes that only around half its existing charger fleet has the functionality and that the current standard requires it. If a bank is in an uncontrolled environment, temperature compensation is not optional.
What is the difference between a DC power system and a UPS?
[DC power system vs UPS · rectifier vs UPS] A DC power system (rectifier plant) converts AC to DC, feeds DC loads directly, and floats a battery on the same bus, so if the AC fails, the battery simply continues to supply the DC bus with no transfer event. A UPS converts AC to DC and back to AC to feed AC loads, and involves a transfer when the mains fails. Where the equipment runs natively on DC, telecommunications, signalling, substation protection and control, most industrial instrumentation, a DC power system is simpler, more efficient and has fewer failure modes. Where the load is AC, a UPS is required. This is the highest-value definitional question in the whole hub, and no Australian competitor answers it.
What is the difference between a rectifier and a battery charger?
[rectifier vs battery charger difference] A rectifier in a DC power system continuously supplies the DC load and keeps the battery on float, the battery is a reserve, not the primary customer. A battery charger is designed primarily to charge the battery. The distinction matters when specifying: a charger sized only for the battery will not carry the load, and a rectifier plant must be sized for load plus recharge current simultaneously. ARTC’s DC power supply specification, for example, requires the unit to supply full load with the batteries removed and to supply normal load while recharging a fully discharged battery, restoring it to at least 75% capacity within 10 hours.
What is N+1 redundancy in a DC power system?
[N+1 redundancy DC power system · hot swap rectifier] Sizing the rectifier complement so total load plus battery recharge current can still be carried with one module out of service. Combined with hot-swappable modules, it means a rectifier can fail or be replaced without dropping the DC bus. It is the standard resilience requirement in telecommunications, rail and utility DC systems, and it is a specification to state explicitly rather than assume.
Why is telecom DC power −48 V, and why do substations use 110 V or 125 V?
[why is telecom -48V · why substation 110V DC 125V DC] Telecommunications standardised on a negative 48 V bus, positive earth, because it reduces electrolytic corrosion of buried and exposed metalwork. ETSI EN 300 132-2 sets the normal interface range at −40.5 V to −57.0 V, derived from 24 lead-acid cells at 2.35 V per cell on float with allowance for distribution drop. Substations use higher voltages, commonly 110 V or 125 V DC, with AusNet reporting 125 V as the most common across its fleet, because tripping and protection circuits are long, and higher voltage reduces conductor size and voltage drop over distance. Rail signalling adds its own conventions: 50 V DC for signalling logic, 24 V DC for electronics, 12–15 V DC for level crossings.
Lithium
Can I replace lead-acid batteries with lithium?
[can I replace lead acid with lithium] Often yes, but check five things: charge profile, DC bus voltage window, BMS-to-LVD coordination, communications compatibility, and whether the equipment manufacturer supports it. /can-you-replace-vrla-with-lithium-in-a-48v-dc-power-system/
Is LiFePO₄ safe?
is LiFePO4 safe · lithium battery fire risk]
Is a solid-state battery available in 2026?
[are solid state batteries available · solid state vs LiFePO4] No true all-solid-state battery is commercially available at scale. Products marketed as solid-state are semi-solid or quasi-solid, using a gel polymer electrolyte containing a liquid plasticiser. Safety is enhanced, not absolute.
Can lithium and lead-acid batteries share the same bus?
[can I mix lithium and lead acid batteries · mixed chemistry battery bank] Generally no. Their float voltages, charge acceptance characteristics and recharge behaviour are incompatible, and a single charge regime cannot serve both correctly, the lead-acid will be under-charged or the lithium over-held at full state of charge. During a staged replacement programme, either separate the buses with independent charge control or accept that one chemistry is being operated outside its optimum for the transition period, and plan the transition to be short.
Why can’t lithium batteries be charged below 0 °C?
SOLiCORE Q8.6. [can you charge lithium below freezing · lithium low temperature charging] Below freezing, lithium plates onto the anode as metal instead of intercalating, permanently raising internal resistance and risking internal shorts. A competent BMS blocks it. It matters in Australia more than most vendors admit, TMR requires roadside cabinets to hold a minimum 0 °C with a thermostatic heater for exactly this reason.
How do I transport or dispose of lithium batteries in Australia?
[lithium battery transport Australia · lithium battery disposal Australia] UN 3480 / UN 3481, Class 9, UN 38.3 testing mandatory. Damaged and end-of-life units carry additional marking and packaging requirements. Industrial lithium is not covered by B-cycle or the NSW mandatory scheme, both are scoped to portable batteries.
Buying, warranty, freight and disposal
Which Valen battery range should I choose?
Valen battery range comparison Replaces the current “What Valen battery products are available?” listing with a genuine decision table:
|
Range |
Chemistry |
Best duty |
|---|---|---|
|
Topin |
AGM VRLA |
General standby, UPS, cost-sensitive float service |
|
X-CEL |
Higher-specification AGM (pure lead with tin) |
High-rate standby, UPS, longer design life |
|
EnviroX-Cel / Plus |
Lead carbon |
Partial-state-of-charge cycling, solar-assisted standby |
|
Valen Gel |
Gel VRLA |
Cyclic duty, deep discharge, elevated temperature |
|
ENDUROGEL |
Premium gel with life-extension technology |
Longest-life cyclic and hot-site duty |
|
SOLiCORE |
LiFePO₄, semi-solid |
Rack-mount industrial lithium, daily cycling, space and weight constrained |
|
ENLiFEN Front Terminal |
LiFePO₄ |
Daily cycling duty in a front terminal format; 12V 125Ah, 12V 200Ah and 48V 75Ah |
Full capacities, dimensions, weights, terminal types and design-life classes for the front terminal ranges are in the specification table in section 3.1, link to it from this answer.
How do I get pricing, and do you sell to the public?
Pricing is available through the Valen webstore once you are logged in to your account, because pricing is set by product, volume and account. If you do not have an account, call 1300 734 253 (Australia) or 0800 734 253 (New Zealand) and we will set one up. Valen supplies trade, industry and infrastructure customers, the technicians, contractors, integrators, network operators and wholesalers who build, service and maintain mission-critical equipment. For systems such as Vantara, V-Trail and ModX2, we size and quote per configuration rather than list a price; the ModX2 and V-Trail calculators will give you an indicative configuration to start from.
What is the recommended shelf life of a battery, and can I install one that has been stored?
Six months is the recommended maximum storage period for a VRLA battery without recharging. Beyond that, self-discharge allows sulphation to begin, and the capacity loss may be permanent. If batteries must be held longer, put them on a maintenance charge on a schedule. Record the date code at receipt, a battery that spent a year in a store has already consumed part of its life before commissioning, and this is a common and avoidable cause of early failure.
What warranty comes with Valen products, and what voids it?
Front terminal VRLA ranges carry 24 months; ENLiFEN lithium front terminal carries 36 months; SOLiCORE carries 5 years; ModX2 carries 2 years on the system and 10 years on the batteries; Vantara and V-Trail carry 24 months on the system, 5 years on batteries and 3 years on inverters. Extended warranty is available on request. What decides a claim is the conditions rather than the period: the assumed temperature range, the float voltage and temperature-compensation regime, evidence of a controlled charge regime, depth of discharge limits, throughput caps for lithium, and who bears freight and labour to a remote site.
What is the difference between design life, service life and warranty?
Design life is a classification from accelerated float testing at 20 °C (EUROBAT: 3–5 / 6–9 / 10–12 / over 12 years). Service life is what field experience delivers under good conditions. Warranty is a contractual term, usually much shorter. Australian specifiers state life requirements explicitly, TMR requires 10 years minimum for LiFePO₄ roadside UPS, Sydney Water requires 10 years for batteries and 20 for chargers, and ARTC asks for a design life over 10 years with a 12-month warranty. /battery-design-life-vs-service-life/
Can batteries be shipped by air?
Valen’s VRLA front terminal ranges, ENDUROGEL, ENVIROX-CEL, ENVIROX-CELPLUS and TOPIN, are classified non-spillable and approved for air transport under IATA packing instructions, subject to correct packaging, marking and terminal protection. ENLiFEN lithium products are dangerous goods for air transport under UN 3480 or UN 3481, Class 9, and require UN 38.3 type testing.
How do I dispose of or recycle industrial batteries in Australia?
Front terminal Q7.17. [industrial battery recycling Australia · battery disposal Australia] Industrial lead-acid goes through the commercial scrap-lead route. Industrial batteries are outside both B-cycle and the NSW mandatory scheme commencing 1 October 2026, both cover portable batteries only. Industrial lithium is the genuine gap; ask for documented take-back with chain of custody.
Do you supply to Australia and New Zealand, and where are you located?
Yes, Valen supplies across Australia and New Zealand. Locations: Lawson NSW, Lake Cargelligo NSW, Welshpool WA, East Tamaki NZ and Kaitaia NZ. Call 1300 734 253 in Australia or 0800 734 253 in New Zealand. Valen Power is certified to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018.
Can Valen batteries be used in cars, motorbikes or caravans?
Which gives a supply reason rather than a technical one: No, and the reason is duty rather than availability. Automotive starting requires a very high current for a few seconds, which demands thin plates and high surface area, the opposite of the thick-plate construction that gives a deep cycle or standby battery its life. A starting battery in a cyclic application fails quickly; a deep cycle battery in a starting application will not deliver the cranking current. For caravan and RV house-battery duty, the requirement is a genuine cycling product, which is a different specification again from a telecom or UPS standby battery.